


Reunited

by MilleniumEmrys



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Modern Era
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-24
Updated: 2017-10-27
Packaged: 2019-01-22 13:00:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12482156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MilleniumEmrys/pseuds/MilleniumEmrys
Summary: After all the years of waiting, not only has Arthur returned, but also the rest of Merlin's friends. Hopefully, this time fate will be kind to them....or maybe it's time they write their own destiny.





	1. Chapter One

**Chapter One**

 

            A young man walked through the pouring rain to his modest house near the edge of town. He would’ve had an umbrella, but as usual, he’d forgotten to check the weather in his rush to get to work on time. Most mornings he’d arrive late, but this morning he’d been determined to show up on time…mostly because he had made a bet with his coworkers that he could accurately tell time, which meant actually showing up at work on time for once. If he won the bet, they would buy him lunch for a month, but if he lost, he would have to go to every Saturday morning football game the guys played in the park for the next two months. Although he enjoyed being around his coworkers, and didn’t mind going to the pubs with them and other such stuff, he did not like going to watch them play sports.

            Sure, it was interesting to watch Leon and Percival play, but it also only served as a reminder about Gwaine, Elyan, Lancelot, and, most of all, Arthur and all the times he watched them spend their days training. So, for him, playing football and other sports, was like the modern-day equivalent of knights training. After waiting for 1500 years for the return of Arthur, his hope was renewed upon finding Leon and Percival, but that was almost ten years ago. Nowadays, he was starting to lose hope again. Leon and Percival had no recollection of what had happened in the past and he was no closer to finding Arthur or anyone else from Camelot.

            Anyways, needless to say, he had lost the bet this morning and was now condemned to mornings of watching people kick a ball around and try to score by kicking it into a huge goal and nearly always miss.

            Upon finally reaching his house, he stripped out of his drenched clothes right away and threw them on the floor mat. On his way to his bedroom for new, dry clothes, he turned on the answering machine to listen to whatever messages were left for him that day.

            “Hey Merlin! Just wanted to remind you that the new employees arrive on Monday!” Leon; he’d been going on about the new people for months, ever since their first interviews. Apparently, they were all relatively brilliant.

            “Hey buddy, want to go out to the pub tonight? It’s been a while since you were my drinking buddy!” Kevin; he reminded Merlin of Gwaine. If Gwaine ended up coming back he would definitely have to keep the two of them separated.

            “Hello dear. I just wanted to double-check that you were still planning on visiting in two weeks.” Ms. Elizabeth. A nice, elderly lady that he had watched grow up and the only person in this world that knew of his immortality. She always worried about him, even though he made a point of visiting her every month to see her.

            “Hey Merlin! It’s me again. Just wanted to let you know that the new employees are actually going to be at the football game this Saturday, which is tomorrow, which you better be at.” Leon…again. Merlin sighed and shook his head. Of course, he would be there…. but only for that stupid bet.

            “Hello, just reminding you that since you did lose the bet, that you’ll have to be at the football game tomorrow, which coincidentally is also when you get to meet the new employees.” Percival; of course, he would call to remind Merlin that he lost the bet, just like he did with every other bet that Merlin lost.

            Merlin sighed again. He didn’t want to go to the game tomorrow and he didn’t care about meeting the new people. It’s not like he would interact with them too much…or at all. They were going to be in a completely different department. After getting dried off and dressed, Merlin made himself his usual standard TV dinner and sat down to read a newly released novel about King Arthur, his court, and his life. He always kept an eye out for new Arthurian legends. Although nobody knew it, he had a copy of every single Arthurian legend book, which he was pretty proud of. It was always interesting to see how he and everyone else he knew were depicted. He always had to laugh at everyone who thought of him as an old man, especially since he was never actually going to be an old man.

            A few hours later, Merlin was still chuckling as he set his alarm and got ready for bed. As if Arthur was ever a super humble, shy, orphaned boy that eventually became the foster son of wise, old, nearly decrepit Merlin who smuggled him out of the country and across the channel into the land that would eventually be called Camelot once Merlin pulled together an army of peasants to take over the kingdom. With one last laugh, Merlin turned off the light and went to sleep.


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

            The alarm clock went off far too soon for Merlin’s liking. Even after living for so long, sleeping was still one of his favorite things to do. He often joked to himself that he was still catching up on all the sleep he missed from the days when he was Arthur’s servant. After showering and putting on a faded Doctor Who t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers, Merlin gave Percival a call.

            “Morning, Merlin. What’s up? You better not be cancelling.”

            “Nah, I’m not cancelling. I lost that stupid bet and I’ll own up to it, even though I don’t want to. I just wanted to know if I should stop for donuts or bagels or something like that before I come to the park.”

            “If you have time to stop, that’d be great. Are you driving your bike?” Percival asked.

            “Yeah, of course I am. I’m not walking that far.”

            “Drive safe, then. We don’t need to visit you in the hospital because your clumsiness became an accident.”

            “Yes, mom. I’ll drive safe,” Merlin joked.

            “I’m not your mom, but someone does need to remind you to take care of yourself.”

            “Why? I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself!” Merlin said indignantly.

            “I don’t know about that, mate. We’ve had to rescue you from some pretty dire situations and catch you many times when you slipped carrying sharp objects. And how many times have you left the stove or oven on when you went to work or left the fridge open for hours on end?” Percival reminded him. “I just don’t want to get a call that you’ve been seriously injured.”

            Merlin sighed. It was almost like being back in Camelot. Percival had always been rather concerned with his safety, especially after Arthur died. “I know, and I promise I’ll be careful and arrive in one piece, with some food.”

            “Good. See you in an hour then.” Percival said before hanging up.

            Merlin shook his head in fond exasperation. Even though neither Percival nor Leon remembered, they were almost entirely the same with their words and actions. After Arthur’s death and after Merlin’s eventual return to Camelot, the three of them had grown closer and faced many trials together. With a melancholy feeling, Merlin made sure his kitchen was in order (he was not going to give the fire department another chance to save his house), grabbed his wallet, keys, and helmet, and then went out to the garage.

            Even though most people considered motorcycles to be dangerous, Merlin liked them a lot better than cars. For him, it was almost like flying on Kilgharrah again, feeling the wind whip past; it was just another way to make sure he would always remember the feeling of flying on one of the last remaining dragons before they too went extinct.

            A few minutes later, Merlin arrived at the bakery and went inside. It was still relatively early, so the morning rush hadn’t started yet.

            “Bagels or donuts this time? And one or two dozen?” the lady behind the counter asked him.

            “Pardon?”

            “You only come in here every so often and you always order bagels or donuts. Then you always order one or two dozen,” she explained.

            “Oh, um…wow…you’re observant,” Merlin was for once, somewhat speechless.

            “I see I’ve stunned you into silence, young man!” the lady laughed.

            “I’m Merlin.”

            “Ah, what an unusual name you have. I’m Annabella, but you can call me Anna.”

            “Very nice to officially meet you. And yes, I have a rather unusual name, but I like to think it’s a good one,” replied Merlin with a grin.

            Anna nodded in agreement. “Now, young man, what would you like to order today?”

            “Hmm, um, probably donuts this time; and two dozen of them. I don’t care if they’re glazed or not or whatever else is done to donuts. Also, if I could have one of those delicious looking cinnamon rolls, that’d be great.”

            After Anna was done packaging all the food up and Merlin paid, he said goodbye and left to continue on to the park. Realizing that he was going to be late again, he did break the speed limit when possible, something he normally didn’t do, but he didn’t want to get razed by his friends again.

            “Well, Merlin, this may come as a huge shock to you, as it has come as a huge shock to the rest of us, but you are actually on time today,” Percival announced as Merlin walked up to everyone.

            “Oh, very funny. I’m late and you make fun of me. I’m on time and you make fun of me. I’m early and you make fun of me,” Merlin grouched.

            “Dear Merlin, you have never been early to anything,” another of his co-workers, Charlie, said.

            “And if we didn’t make fun of you, you’d think we were sick,” John announced.

            “And to think I thought to bring you all breakfast today,” Merlin said shaking his head. “I think I should just head home and eat all the breakfast myself.”

            “Don’t you dare, Merlin,” Leon said, walking up behind Merlin. “You need to be here because you need to meet the new employees, fulfill your debt, and also because I haven’t eaten breakfast yet, and I’m starving.”

            “Morning to you too, Leon. I won’t go anywhere, I promise, at least for now. And why do I have to meet the new employees? It’s not like I’ll see them at all or talk to them or work with them.”

            Jack laughed. “You are such an anti-social bugger, mate. You’re meeting them because they’ll be working at the same company and in the same building as you and you need to be polite.”

            Merlin grumbled and shook his head. “Here’s your breakfast, guys. When do you play?” He handed over the box of donuts and a stack of napkins, to everyone’s delight.

            “We play at 9 and 11. The new guys are supposed to be here at 8:30. We’ll see if they want to play too,” John answered. Merlin checked his phone; it was 8:29.

            “Hey, two more minutes and they’ll be the late ones,” Merlin said optimistically.

            “Sorry mate, looks like you’re out of luck this week. Here they come now,” Charlie replied.

            “How many are there anyways?” Merlin asked.

            “Five this time,” Leon replied.

            “Hello, new people,” Charlie said, to which a chorus of hellos were said back.

            Percival began the introductions. “Okay everyone; this is Gwaine, Elyan, Lancelot, Gwen, and Arthur.” He said their names as he pointed to each one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter Three

            Merlin slowly looked up from his cinnamon roll, hardly daring to believe his ears. He could feel his face pale in shock as he realized that they really were who Percival had named. His eyes widened in shock as for the first time in fifteen hundred years, he saw the face of his King, the king he had failed to save when it had truly mattered. He saw the faces of Elyan, Lancelot, and Gwaine, all of whom he too had failed to save. Lastly, he saw the face of Gwen, and remembered how he had had to deliver the news to her of his failure.

            “Merlin! Are you okay?” Leon asked, shaking him.

            “His face is super pale; sit him down on the bench.”

            Merlin came back to reality and shook his head. “I’m fine, really, I am.”

            “Are you sure?” Percival asked, concerned. “You’re not coming down with a cold again, are you?”

            “You’re not looking too good, mate. You might want to go home and get some rest, take some medicine, and all that stuff,” Jack said. Merlin numbly nodded in agreement.

            “I’ll drive him,” Charlie offered. “One of the new guys can take my spot on the team until I get back.”

            “I’ve got my bike. I can drive myself back,” Merlin protested, coming back to attention.

            “I don’t know, Merlin…”

            “I can do it. I’ll be fine for a fifteen-minute drive. I’ll call one of you when I’m home if that’ll ease your minds,” Merlin said. They all nodded in reluctant agreement, and decided that Merlin should call Percival when he arrived. With a slightly staggered walk, as if he’d had a bit too much to drink, Merlin made it back to his bike, and drove away.

            “What’s wrong? Is he alright?” asked Gwen cautiously. Everyone turned to face her in slight shock, not because she spoke, but rather because she sounded very concerned about someone that she hadn’t even properly met yet.

            “We don’t know. He’s gone home and will call me when he gets there. I’ll talk to him again later, just to make sure,” Percival finally answered.

            “No, worries, he’ll be alright. I’m Leon, by the way. And the big fellow that just spoke is Percival. And here is Charlie, John, and Jack. Kevin is also usually here, but he had a late night at the pubs, so you’ll meet him some other time.”

            “Thank you all for coming to the park so early on a Saturday morning. We’d figure that it’d be easier to meet us all when we’re not at work, so that way it’ll be less awkward,” Charlie said.

            “That, and there’s nothing like a great beginning to a friendship than playing in a football match,” John said. “That is, if you want to play. Otherwise you can stand and cheer or if you have no interest in football at all, you could leave and we’ll see you on Monday.”

            “If it’s alright with all of you, I think we’ll all play. We’re all relatively good,” Arthur said.

            Gwaine laughed loudly. “Right…relatively good…”

            “What’s that for then? Are you not any good?” Jack asked.

            “No, we’re all decent players. Arthur just happens to be a great player. He could go pro if he wanted to,” Lancelot replied.

            “Cheers mate, so could Percival,” Leon said.

            “Yes, yes, enough about that, Leon. Shouldn’t we warm up? Our game starts in fifteen minutes,” Percival grumbled. They all nodded in assent and began to stretch. Fifteen minutes later their game began. It soon became clear that their team outmatched their opponents. By the time the game ended, the score was eight to zero. It could have been a lot larger gap, but during the second half, they decided to focus more on their passing skills, their fancy footwork, and their teamwork, rather than completely obliterating their opponents.

            “I’ll think I’ll bow out now, and go check on Merlin. He never called when he should have,” Percival said after checking his phone for the hundredth time. “I’ll see you all tomorrow or Monday.” Everyone said their goodbyes to Percival, then turned back to discuss their strategy for the second game and their upcoming adversaries.

 

            Merlin drove home numbly; he didn’t remember any part of it. His body and mind were in total shock at what had just transpired. Without actively thinking, he somehow managed to put his bike away and make it into the house before collapsing on his living room sofa.

            They were back. All of them. Arthur, Gwaine, Percival, Elyan, Lancelot, Leon, and even Gwen. They were _all_ back.

            It finally hit him and Merlin burst into ecstatic and slightly hysterical laughter. Fifteen hundred years of waiting and endless searching and he doesn’t find them. They find him, at a park, before a football game. And they were the new employees Leon had hired!

            Merlin jumped up suddenly and began pacing. But what would he say to them? How should he talk to them? Act around them? What if they remembered? How would they remember? What if they didn’t remember? Why were they back? Was anyone else going to come back? He sat back down.

            And there he sat, on the sofa, thinking. Thinking about the past, thinking about the present, and thinking of the future. He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn’t remember his promise to call Percival. Time just passed him by as it had for so many years. He didn’t hear his phone ring multiple times. He didn’t hear a car pull into his driveway. He didn’t hear his doorbell ring. He didn’t hear the shouts of the person outside. He didn’t even hear the sound of his door being kicked in due to the person’s panic. In fact, he was completely absorbed in his own thoughts, that it wasn’t until he felt a huge slap across the face did he register that anything had happened.

            “OW!” shouted Merlin. “What the hell was that for? And what in the name of all that is good in the world have you done to my front door?!?!”

            “Are you okay? What’s wrong?” Percival asked. Seeing Merlin in a complete blank state had put him in quite a panic, and he wasn’t quite over it yet.

            “Of course, I’m not okay! You just slapped me! And let me tell you, you are ridiculously strong,” Merlin objected. “Also, you broke my door!”

            “You were just sitting there, totally unresponsive. I tried shaking you and clapping in front of your face, but nothing worked,” Percival said. “I’m sorry for hitting you, but you looked comatose. I’m not sorry for the door though. That’s what happens when you don’t answer phone calls or the insistent ringing of your doorbell.”

            “Sorry, I must have just zoned out.”

            Percival shook his head and kneeled so that Merlin would look him in the eye. “That’s not zoning out, Merlin. That was something a lot more extreme. Something is clearly wrong.”

            “I must just be sick,” Merlin said, still avoiding looking at Percival. “No worries, I’m sure I’ll get better soon.”

            “And it would have nothing to do with the fact that this is the first time you’ve seen Arthur in fifteen hundred years, now would it?”


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four:**

            If it was even possible, Merlin’s face became paler than it had before when he met Arthur and the rest of them.

            “What?” Merlin managed to eventually gasp out. “You…what…you remember?”

            When Percival didn’t reply, Merlin jumped out of his chair, fully agitated, and started pacing around the room, waving his hands through the air. “You mean to tell me that this entire time you’ve known exactly who I am and exactly who you were? And you never told me? Even though, I know that you know that I’ve been alive and waiting this entire time? And you never bothered to tell me that the new people that Leon hired were Arthur, Gwen, Elyan, Gwaine, and Lancelot? Oh, don’t tell me Leon also knows everything too! Was this just some terrible joke that you thought you guys would play on me? Did you both laugh as you hired the people we knew in another life, well another life for you because I’m still stuck in that same life? Did you think it would be funny to spring it on me like that, thinking that I would laugh too? Or be happy? I mean…I am happy they’re back, but if this was all a joke to you, I’m going to be really angry, because I’m not laughing. I’ve waited too damn long. Dammit Percival why aren’t you saying anything?”

            Merlin finally stopped pacing, ran his hands through his already messy hair, and turned around to face Percival, only to find him still standing in the same spot with the same facial expression.

            “Oh…um…did I freeze time again? Wait, don’t answer that…well, not that you even can…which means my whole point was wasted. Frankly, I don’t have the energy to go through that again,” Merlin muttered. “And once again, I’m talking to myself basically. Now what’s the spell for unfreezing time? I’m only joking…I remember.” Merlin’s eyes flashed gold and time once again resumed.

            “Merlin…” Percival started. “Whoa! Where’d you go?”

            “Behind you.”

            Percival whipped around. “You’re over there now…what’d you do?’

            “…accidentally stopped time for a little bit,” Merlin said sheepishly. It had been a long time since he had done any sort of accidental magic.

            Percival laughed and sat on one of the chairs. “Right, of course you did.”

            “So…you remember?” Merlin asked hesitantly, taking a seat across from him.

            “Yes.”

            “You really remember? You remember everything?” Merlin whispered, still in shock.

            Percival nodded. “I remember every moment of it; it’s all clear to me.”

            “How long have you known? Why haven’t you said anything? Does Leon remember?”

            “Leon doesn’t remember anything, as far as I know,” Percival sighed. “I only started remembering a month or two ago. Every couple nights or so, I would have a weird dream and at first none of them made any sense. Eventually I realized that they were telling a story and I started writing it all down trying to figure out what it all meant. My gran is this life is really big into dream meanings and dream journals and all that sort of stuff. Anyways, it all finally clicked and really made sense once I saw Arthur and the rest of them walking across the field towards us. That’s when it stopped being weird dreams and a reality.”

            “How are you not in complete shock like I am?” Merlin asked.

            “I don’t think it’s really hit me yet,” Percival admitted. “It was just like suddenly I remembered everything and I’m still continuing that life, yet at the same time, this is a new life and I have all of my memories from this life, if that makes sense.”

             “I understand. But…What do we do now though? What do I say? How do I interact with them? What if Arthur doesn’t remember? What if no one else remembers?” Merlin quietly whispered his fears. It would be just like destiny to completely destroy him by giving him his friends back only for them to have no recollection of what had transpired many years ago.

            “Arthur will remember. They all will remember. It might take some time though, Merlin. They might not remember right away. Or maybe some of them already remember.”

            “Time, Percival? I had to wait ten years for you to remember. Ten _years_! And Leon still hasn’t remembered. I can’t be around for ten more years just waiting for the rest of them to remember. …. I just can’t. It hurts too much,” Merlin explained. “I’ve been living for fifteen hundred years, just waiting for Arthur to return. And now he’s here. He’s finally here and I can’t even explain to him how sorry I am that I wasn’t able to save him because he doesn’t know.” His voice cracked on the last word and his eyes filled with tears.

            “I know Merlin. I truly do. I may not have waited all these years for Arthur to return. But now that I remember I too want nothing more than to go to him and apologize that I wasn’t strong enough to stop Morgana from coming after you guys. I wasn’t strong enough to stop Gwaine from being murdered. I want to go and pledge my undying allegiance once again. But I can’t, just like you. More than that, I want to go up to Gwaine and beg for his forgiveness. It’s my fault he died and I need to tell him I’m sorry,” Percival replied, the tremble in his voice the only hint conveying his strong emotion.

            “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

            “It’s okay.”

            Merlin stood up. “Want some pizza? We can talk and eat. I’ll order in.”

            “Merlin?’

            “Yes?’

            Percival stood and walked over “It’s good to see you again.” Then, he gave Merlin a hug. It was the first time in almost 1450 years that Merlin had allowed someone to hug him. And it made Merlin’s eyes fill with tears as it hit him once again just how lonely he had been and still was.

            “I’ll call the pizza in, you sit down. I imagine that you’re still adjusting to this news.”

            "I think I'll fix the door first. Pizza guy might be concerned over a smashed door," Merlin grumbled. "You really didn't have to break it you know."

            Although they said they were going to talk once the pizza arrived, they didn’t. Instead, they ate in a companionable silence, both taking comfort in the fact that they weren’t alone with their memories and they wouldn’t have to face their pasts by themselves. They both took comfort in the fact that the other one knew what they were going through.

            “Thank you,” Merlin said as Percival was leaving.

            Percival stopped and turned around. “No Merlin, thank you. You’ve always been like a little brother to me, and I’m so sorry you had to suffer for so long, but I thank you for still caring and not completely giving up on Arthur and the rest of us returning.”

            Once Percival had left, Merlin cleaned the kitchen and did the dishes. Unlike the olden days in Camelot, these days he was relatively organized and liked to keep everything very neat and in order. As he finished cleaning up and got ready for bed, memories flew through his mind.

 

            Meeting Arthur. _“How long have you been training to be a prat, my lord?”_

            Becoming Arthur’s manservant. _“You’re only my manservant because my father wants to reward you. Personally, I could do with anyone other than you.”_

            Meeting Gwen. _“That was very brave of you.”_

            Helping Gwen and Arthur get together. _“Why do you always leave me in the same room as Arthur?” “Because one of these days, he’s going to realize he loves you.”_

            Meeting the Knights of the Round Table. _Lancelot and the griffon. Gwaine and the tavern brawl. Percival and the falling rocks. Leon as Arthur’s second in command. Elyan and the quest to rescue him from Cenred._

            The Quest for the Fisher King’s Trident. _“Courage.” “Strength.” “Magic.”_

            All the times he actually was in the tavern. _“Glad to have you join us for once, Merlin. Now, tell me, do you think I have any chance with that gorgeous blonde over there?” “No. She’s married and has three kids.” “Oh well. Let’s have another round.”_

            Gaius’s lessons in healing – both magical and not. _“Which plants are good for fevers?” “No idea.” “Merlin!” “What?” “We went over this last week and the week before!” “Oh… I forgot.”_

            The Valley of the Fallen Kings. _“If you want to go hunting in the Valley of the Fallen Kings, you’re going to have to go alone. I’m done being attacked in that cursed place.” “It’s not cursed; you just have bad luck sometimes.”_

            Walking through the palace gardens with Gwen. _“Same time next week my lady?” “I’m not a lady, Merlin.” “You will be once you marry Arthur.” “You don’t know that’s going to happen.” “Yes, I do.” “Oh Merlin…”_

            Arthur’s jealously over his and Gwen’s friendship. _“Why are you always with Gwen? Do you like her? You’d better not!”_

            Spending time in the stocks. _“He’s back! Get the food boys!”_

            Learning how to ride. _“Come on, it’s not that hard.” “I’ve never ridden a horse! I’m only a poor peasant.” “Well, you’re going to learn. It’s necessary since you’re my manservant.”_

            Being given a horse by Arthur. _“She’s yours Merlin.” “What?” “The horse. She’s yours. I want you to have her. She won’t ride the same for any of the rest of us. She’s too smitten with you to be a good battle horse.”_

            Learning how to fight with a sword, crossbow, and daggers. _“You are going to learn. I’ve left you untrained for too long. It’s too dangerous to take you anywhere without you being able to defend yourself and I won’t always be able to protect you.”_

            Always being late. _“Sorry! Got to run! Didn’t mean to knock you over!”_

            Fixing Arthur’s belt. _“It’s just one hole shy of perfection.”_

            Days spend hunting. _“Just another day killing small animals.” “Shut up, Merlin.”_

            Times spent with Arthur on a normal day at the castle. _“It’s a nice day out.” “Yes, Merlin, good observation.” “Too bad you’ve got council meetings all day.” “No, I don’t. I’ve canceled them. I’m not doing any King work today.” “Why? Don’t you have important things to discuss today?” “Because, Merlin, we’re going to play a trick on the knights. And as I am the King, I can cancel the meeting if I want to.”_

 

            There were no bad memories this time, only the good ones, the ones that made him smile or laugh with wistfulness.

            “Goodnight, Prat,” Merlin whispered as he turned off the light and went to sleep. For the first time in many years, his sleep was completely peaceful; the nightmares didn’t plague him this night.

 


End file.
